H.A.A. Thorn, proprietor of Lancaster's in the late nineteenth century, was a great exponent of the oval-bore, declaring 'that there is nothing to wear out, no sharp edges to wear down', and believing that 'where there are sharp edges every shot is doing something towards wearing out the barrels'. Oval-bore rifles were provided in a number of larger calibres and it is rare to find this method of rifling applied to 6.5mm